Picnics and Rain
by pharaoh-90
Summary: Shrubbery? How do you defend yourself from enemy ninja with bushes Naruto-kun?
1. Chapter 1

**Picnics and Rain**

It was a beautiful day in Konoha, and many of the people who lived there were taking advantage of it. Tsunade, for instance, was in an outdoor bar getting hammered. Jiraiya, had he still been amongst the living, would've been peeping on the hot springs, and most likely also getting hammered, though not by alcohol.

It wasn't just the higher level relaxing either. Many of the civilians in the village were out in the parks and wooded areas, enjoying time with their families. The shops that sold items one might take on a picnic were selling out as fast as people could reach them, and several water-type nin found themselves entertaining groups of people with some of their less deadly skills.

Off in a quiet clearing in the middle of the woods, two nin in particular were enjoying the nice weather, having finished the lunch they had brought with them. The male was laying in the shade of a large tree, not caring that the back of his button up white shirt was getting dirty.

His companion, and the provider of the excellent lunch they had consumed, was wearing a yellow sundress, and also laying on the ground, though she used the stomach of the man for a pillow, instead of a tree.

Conversation flowed easily between them, as they discussed humorous places to be ambushed, and equally humorous ways of defending themselves with whatever would be on hand in that type of situation.

"What if you were in the hot springs and they were invaded?" the woman asked.

"Uhh….well…..how many enemies are invading this hot spring?" the man replied.

"Mmm…..lets go with four."

"Ok…..umm…..lets see…." he mumbled as he thought out loud, "What would I have available….. soap, towels, small wooden buckets, small wooden stools…small trees and shrubbery….maybe a rock….."

"Shrubbery? How do you defend yourself from enemy ninja with bushes Naruto-kun?"

"Well, you don't defend yourself with them directly. They're more of a distraction. I mean, would you be able to concentrate if you were being swarmed by a bunch of identical wet and naked angry people wearing only towels screaming at the top of their lungs waving bushes around?"

"…I honestly think you are the first person in history to think of an effective use for a shrub in combat, Naruto-kun."

"Nah, I'm sure someone else has thought far enough outside the box, or just been desperate enough to try it, Hinata. Besides, I haven't even gotten started on what I could do with the soap."

Though he couldn't see it, Hinata had turned rather red at that, as she was fighting off some very persistent mental images of wet and naked Naruto's, wearing only towels, screaming at the top of their lungs, while waving around bushes and bars of soap. She was so lost in her fantasy that she missed Naruto's next question.

"Huh? What was that?"

"Since it's your turn for a question, I asked what you would do if we were attacked right now."

That made her pause for a moment as she ran a mental inventory of what was immediately available to her. Being that she had planned on a picnic lunch with Naruto, she hadn't really brought any of her equipment with her; the closest thing to weapon she brought was a butter knife.

She thought about it for another minute or so, and then replied with, "Well, I could use my hair pins to stab, and I still have Juuken, so I wouldn't be defenseless."

Naruto just smiled, "In a sundress? I'd like to see that."

Hinata glared at him, though the effect was pretty much ruined by her red face. Despite the fact that they had been spending more and more time together, he could still get under her skin. At least the war with Akatsuki rid her of that damn stutter.

She sat up, still glaring at him. "Well, what would you do?" she snapped, as he had been laughing at her expression.

Still laughing, he stood up, at faced away from her. "Well, I'm less defenseless than you are," he said, lifting the back of his shirt to show her the four special kunai and shuriken there. "The kunai don't fly worth crap, so I can't throw them, but otherwise they work fine. Besides, I mostly use ninjutsu, so it isn't as much of a problem."

She just continued to glare at him.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry I made fun of your dress," he apologized, though his tone implied otherwise. "You have to admit though, it _is_ a valid point….and I'm not sure which would be better to watch…..you fighting in that dress, or me in a towel with bushes and soap."

Hinata's glare melted into a slightly more playful one, and she smacked Naruto's shoulder. He took playful offense to that, and pushed back. Thus began a rather quickly escalating act-react contest between the two nin, which soon turned into an impromptu spar.

For some reason though they kept to the rules of their previous game, and relied only on what was at hand to use to defend themselves, each having a chakra reinforced stick in place of a kunai.

Hinata got the first point, as she managed to cut through both Naruto's shirt and the special holster he was wearing when he bent back to avoid the strike. She then retreated slightly while he removed the damaged items, before they continued.

It was at this point that Naruto broke out some minor ninjutsu, as he had to repay the loss of his shirt. He liked that shirt, dammit.

Hinata returned in kind, shooting small balls of water to deflect the blunt winds he was sending her way.

This continued for the better part of an hour, the two of them mixing their ninjutsu exchanges with taijutsu every so often, until Naruto miscalculated on his wind blades, and accidentally sent a decently sharp one.

Her Byakugan was able to see the incoming blade though, and while she didn't have enough time to get completely out of its path, she was able to get a chakra-laced palm up in time to deflect the part of it heading for her neck, with the rest of the blade passing on either side of her.

Her dress, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. While she had managed to deflect the part of the blade headed for her neck, the rest of it skimmed just over her shoulders, and her backwards motion from trying to bend away from the strike had allowed just enough distance between her shoulder and the momentarily floating straps for them to get cut without actually hitting her skin.

Hinata stood up from her evasive move just in time to see Naruto take a half step toward her before his face turned pink and he looked away from her.

That of course confused her to no end, until she felt the wind on her stomach. Looking down it became immediately apparent why Naruto had looked away, as she was standing there in just her bra and panties, with the dress pooled at her feet.

She stood there in shock for several seconds as the situation fully sunk in, and then gave a rather startled shriek as she pulled the dress back up, and quickly moved back over to the tree they had been lying under, before sitting down with her arms curled around herself to hold the dress up.

Naruto began to turn his head to see if she was alright, but as soon as she noticed she gave off another terrified shriek and looked away from him again.

Realizing that he had done something wrong, (besides just ruining her dress) Naruto averted his gaze from the distraught Hyuuga and sat down on the other side of the tree.

They sat in silence for a while, until Naruto said, "I'm really sorry about your dress, Hinata. I really didn't mean to make the wind that sharp. Hell, I don't even know if you're still sitting there, but I'm really sorry."

"I'm still here, Naruto-kun," she replied quietly, "and I'm not angry at you…I just….didn't want you to find out this way."

"Find out about what?" he asked, confused.

"My scars."

"Hinata, all ninja have scars. Even I have scars."

"But…."

"Scars are noting to be ashamed of. They're just reminders, nothing more."

Silence fell between them again for a few minutes, until Naruto spoke again. "Can I show you something?" he asked.

When she didn't object, he walked around the tree and stood in front of Hinata, who was staring at her lap, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"Hey, look at me," he called softly, finally getting her to look up. He immediately noticed that while she wasn't crying, the tears didn't look that far off.

"While the Kyuubi can heal almost all of my injuries, he isn't perfect. I have several small scars on my arms and legs from rushed healing, you know that, as I've shown them off several times. My worst scar, though, I generally keep hidden. I hide it not for myself, as it doesn't bother me at all, but because it would bother other people. I anchored a genjutsu to my necklace similar to the one baa-chan uses to hide her age, but mine just covers my body."

He gave her a minute to process what he said before he pulled his necklace off, allowing the genjutsu to dissipate. What it revealed was astonishing. Hinata actually gasped when she saw it. There was a discoloration on the left side of his chest about four inches across, perilously close to where his heart was. The worst part wasn't revealed until he turned around though, as there was a matching spot on his back, indicating that whatever had caused the injury had run him through.

"Can you imagine what would happen if Sakura-chan found out about it?"

She looked up at him, not understanding why Sakura would have such a problem with it, until he said, "I got this shortly before I left with Ero-sennin, and as far as I know, only Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, and now you know about it."

It suddenly clicked what time he was talking about. The Sasuke Retrieval mission.

"Sasuke did that?"

"With the chidori, yeah. He missed my heart by less than a quarter of an inch."

The pair went silent for a while, until Hinata spoke again.

"I don't have just one, though," she whispered. Seeing the look of confusion on Naruto's face, she decided to elaborate. "You know I was injured at the end of the war, right?"

"Yeah….something about being almost crushed or something."

"I wasn't just almost crushed," she continued, still quiet. "It is true that I received a concussion and broken leg in that avalanche, but the explosive notes embedded into the stone that caused it sent shrapnel everywhere…..and I was hit by it….. a lot of it. The medics told me they were surprised I didn't bleed to death."

"Where….did it hit you?" Naruto asked. When he saw her flinch, he added, "Hey, it's ok if you don't want to show me…especially if it hit somewhere…not easily showable."

"It's not that….. I just…." She turned slightly pink as she replied to him, and he realized what she was getting at. The injury wasn't in a private area, but she would have to let go of her dress, at least partially, to show him.

"Do you uh…. want something else to cover up with?" Seeing her nod, he looked around, and noticed his ripped shirt. "Will my shirt work?"

"I ….. I think so."

He handed her the shirt, and then quickly faced away from her so she could arrange it on herself. She quickly got it onto position, and told him he could face her.

What he saw took his breath away. She had put his shirt on, and tied the loose ends of the front under her chest, leaving her stomach exposed, along with a fair bit of her chest. The dress had been tied off around her waist, turning it into a knee-length skirt.

He almost had to remind himself to breathe; whatever he had been expecting to see when he turned around certainly hadn't been _this_.

'_Since when has Hinata been….hot? I mean, I know she's pretty, but… and she doesn't look like she's _trying_ to be hot either…like she's so innocent that she doesn't even realize it…'_

"Ano….. Naruto-kun?"

Quickly banishing his increasingly perverted thoughts, _'I know you're dead, but damn you Ero-sennin!'_ Naruto focused on what she was showing him. Near the bottom of her ribcage, there was a vivid red line going across her right side, with a few dozen smaller marks around it.

"It's not that bad. Most of the smaller marks will probably fade completely, and the big one should end up barely noticeable. Is that all you were worried about showing me?" She nodded, and he continued, "Why? Did you think I would hate you because you got injured? It was a _war_; _Everyone_ was injured."

"No, I didn't think you'd hate me," she replied as she shook her head. She said a little more, but Naruto only caught the last word.

"….Ugly? You're afraid I'll think you're ugly?" Hinata just held her eyes closed, and nodded.

Naruto hung his head and sighed, before returning his gaze to her, "Hinata, I don't think you're ugly. I never have, and I doubt that I ever will. A couple of scars certainly isn't going to change that."

Very much relieved, Hinata ran forward and wrapped Naruto in a hug. He just laughed, and held her close.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until a light rain began to fall. Neither of them had noticed, but the clouds had been gathering for a while. Still, they didn't mind; it was the kind of rain that children like to play in.

Speaking of which, "Hinata, when was the last time you played in the rain?"

"Huh?" she replied, as she pulled away from him enough to look him in the face. "I…..I do not remember specifically, but not for a very long time…..before Hanabi was born….."

"Well, come on then. Let's go."

"Now? I can't do that now!"

"Why not? And don't play that 'I'm too old to play in the rain' thing, because I'm older than you and I'm still doing it."

"I'm wearing your white shirt and a ripped dress, Naruto-kun. I wouldn't be decent," she replied. Standing there with her stomach exposed was hard enough for her. She didn't think she could take it if the shirt got wet and he could see through it.

"Oh, right, the whole wet white shirt thing…and you're probably worried your dress-skirt would fall off," he thought out loud. "You know, you could just take them off."

Hinata's mind came to a screeching halt as she tried to process that statement. _'Take them off? He wants me to…take them off?'_

Since Naruto still had his arms around Hinata, he could feel her skin warming under his and knew that her face was very red.

"I mean, you have underwear on, right? It's not like you're gonna be naked or anything. Besides, I kinda already saw you in just your underwear earlier….and I would've seen you like that next weekend when we go to the lake anyway, so if anything you're just doing it a little early."

'_He does have a point there,' _she thought. _'We are going to the lake next weekend, and he would've seen me in a swimsuit then…'_

Her thoughts were cut off though when she noticed that the rain wasn't falling on her anymore. Looking up she saw that Naruto was spinning the air above them, creating an umbrella of sorts made of high pressure air. She could also see the fading orange marks around his eyes, indicating that he had just left Sage Mode.

"Come on, Hinata, there's nobody within fifteen miles of here. No one's going to see you but me."

"O…..ok," she said quietly, before walking out of Naruto's air bubble and heading over to the basket with the remains of their lunch. They had set it under a tree, so it was still pretty dry. Once she got there, she slowly untied the knot that was holding the front of the shirt together, and placed it inside the basket.

She hesitated before dropping the skirt, and looked back at Naruto. She could tell that he was having the time of his life, laughing as he tried to do different things to the rain with his wind manipulation, despite almost falling several times.

"Come on, Hinata! What are you waiting for?" he yelled out to her…right before he slipped and fell on his ass.

She just giggled at him, and slowly removed her dress-skirt, before placing it in the basket with Naruto's shirt. Now clad only in her bra and panties, the former of which was white, (but thick enough not to become transparent when wet) the latter black, she slowly walked into the slightly muddy clearing.

Only to get a face full of water that Naruto was collecting with his wind before flinging in random directions. She just glared at him, though the effect was probably ruined by the fact that she was soaking wet and in just her underwear.

She decided to retaliate, and used a condensation jutsu.

Now, the un-ranked condensation jutsu was designed to pull moisture out of the air and condense it into a small stream that could then be used to fill canteens and such.

However, if one were to severely overload the jutsu, and use it somewhere with a lot of water in the air, and aim it somewhere besides straight down, well, the effect is a lot more pronounced, especially when the one using it is a natural water-type.

The stream slammed into Naruto's shocked face with the force of a fire hose, and sent him hydroplaning across the muddy clearing. As soon as he stood up, Naruto gathered another large ball of water with his wind and threw it back at his companion, though he was too far away to actually hit her with it.

They continued this exchange for a while, as the rain gradually turned into a downpour, and the muddy ground became almost impossible to stand on. Neither of them had realized it yet, but the clearing they were in was relatively famous among the more taijutsu oriented of Konoha's forces as whenever it rained the ground there became incredibly slippery, even if chakra was being used to help.

It was at this point that the two actually got close enough to make physical contact, and they decided to spar.

Well, they attempted to, anyway. It was really too hard for them to stand still, let alone actually fight each other. There were _jounin_ who had trouble standing in this clearing, after all. Still, that didn't stop them from trying.

Lack of air was proving to do a pretty good job, though. Both of them were laughing so hard that it was becoming difficult to breathe, and each time one of them tried to stand up, only to slip and fall again, it only made them laugh harder.

Up until Naruto slipped and kicked Hinata's feet out from under her, when she had almost managed to stand herself. He ended up on his back, and she ended up on top of him.

Face to face.

Only inches apart.

While soaking wet.

In just her underwear.

While completely alone.

Her hands were planted into the mud on either side of him, just under his arms, and his hands were on her hips, steadying her while she was on top of him.

Time seemed to slow just then, the background fading away completely as Hinata's wet hair fell around them like a soggy curtain. She slowly lowered herself, letting her hands slide through the mud until her weight was resting on her elbows, with her arms under his, and her hands near his head.

Not caring in the slightest about the mud on her hands, she ran her fingers through his dirty spikes as her head dipped ever lower.

xxxxxxxxxx

Naruto was having the time of his life while they shot water back and forth at each other, and his enjoyment only grew once they tried to spar in the muck. He honestly couldn't remember laughing that hard in his entire life.

Up until he tripped Hinata and she landed on top of him. When that happened, he didn't know what to think. His hands automatically grabbed her hips to steady her, and all he could do was to stare into her eyes.

Naruto had felt for a long time that her eyes were the most expressive of her clan, as well as being colored slightly different. While most Hyuuga had eyes of a cream color, hers were tinted with just a touch of lavender, which wasn't really noticeable until you got right in her face. Hers were also the only set of Hyuuga eyes that he had ever seen show emotion, and he had found that he could infer a lot about her state of mind from her eyes.

Eyes which were currently inches in front of his own.

While she was lying on top of him.

In the rain.

In her underwear.

While he was shirtless.

And they were alone.

Some part of his brain knew what was about to happen, and it ruthlessly silenced the part that wanted to question what was going on. He knew that she loved him; she had told him such when he was fighting Pein. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much time to sort out his own feelings after that confession, what with the war and all, and had yet to actually answer her.

Her forehead contacting his ended his thoughts, and just as her eyes began to flutter closed, he lifted his head and gently touched his lips to hers. Her eyes immediately shot back open, her brain seemingly unable to process the fact that the man she loved was kissing her.

It took her a couple of seconds to respond to the kiss, and Naruto smiled as soon as she did. He wasn't exactly sure _why_ he had initiated the kiss, but as soon as her eyes had begun to close while she was right over him he couldn't _not_ do it. He could also feel her hands starting to move in his hair, though the motions were light and hesitant.

The kiss continued for a few moments before Naruto decided to push a little farther. He slid his hands up her back, one stopping in the middle, and the other threading into her hair. Her mouth opened in reflex, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue past her lips.

The deeper kiss didn't last very long, as lack of air was becoming a problem, so they reluctantly pulled apart. Their foreheads were still in contact though, and they maintained eye contact while regaining their breath.

Despite the close distance, Naruto could see the flush creeping down Hinata's neck in his peripheral vision, and it only made the strange feeling in his chest intensify. He was pretty sure he knew what that feeling was, but he didn't want to act on it until he was a little more certain. He knew that he certainly _liked_ Hinata, but he didn't have anything to compare it to to know if what he felt was really love or not.

What he needed was someone to ask about it, as Naruto knew as much about love as Sai did about social etiquette; maybe less, if that's even possible. Unfortunately for him though, he didn't have time to go ask someone about what he was feeling, so he did his best to understand it himself.

Hinata was still trying to get her brain back in gear for the duration of the kiss, and it wasn't until after it ended that she was able to think straight again. As she began to order her thoughts, she realized the details of her position, and she could feel the blush making its way down her neck. She could also see that his eyes had clouded slightly, as if he was deep in thought.

"Naruto-kun?" she whispered.

"Hm? Oh, sorry. Got lost in thought for a minute there," he replied, their faces still inches apart, and hidden from the outside world by the curtain of her hair. He could see her next question as it was forming, and added, "I like you, Hinata. I like you a lot. I might even love you, I just really don't know what that is."

He was answered with a blank stare for a couple of seconds, and then Hinata almost smashed her face into his, kissing him greedily. She was being uncharacteristically forceful, and her hands were gripping his hair almost painfully tight.

Once he got over the shock, he responded in kind, and began a proper duel of the tongues, which he eventually won, despite her enthusiasm. Not wanting to lose momentum, he rolled them over, putting him in the dominant position. Now with more room to maneuver, his mouth left hers, and began moving along her jaw, and down towards her collarbone.

It was immediately obvious that she liked that, as she began to whimper and moan a little bit, and also began to writhe and arch underneath him. This awakened some primal instinct in him, and he was quite pleased with the results of his ministrations.

Hinata, on the other hand, was being overwhelmed by what Naruto was doing. Seeing as she lived in a compound full of people who could see through walls with the barest hint of effort, she was never able to….experiment….with herself as she progressed through puberty in her own home, and she was much too shy to try anywhere else, so she had no real experience with what she was feeling.

Eventually, the feelings became too intense, and Hinata rolled them over again. Once the turn was finished, she just laid on his chest for a moment. Her hands moved to his chest, and she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, even though her arms were barely able to support the weight.

Not realizing what was wrong, Naruto propped himself up on his elbows, noting that Hinata went very still as he moved, and that her face had an almost uncomfortable expression on it. "What's wrong Hinata? Did I do something wrong?"

She just shook her head, but the motion was quick and jerky. "N-no, Naruto-kun, you didn't do anything wrong," she replied, breathless. "I was just…overwhelmed."

It slowly dawned on Naruto what exactly she meant, "Oh hell, I'm sorry, Hinata. I didn't mean to….get you off doing that." As he spoke, Naruto flopped back into the mud and covered his face with his dirty hands. "I really didn't mean to do that."

"No, it's ok, Naruto-kun, I don't mind," she replied quietly, before looking away from him, "I was just….unprepared; I actually kind of…..really liked it."

Naruto's face emerged from behind his hands, "R-really? Then….why'd you go all stiff when I sat up?"

Still not looking at him, Hinata just rolled her hips a little bit.

"Oh…..ohhhhhhhh. Eh, sorry about that. I really didn't mean to."

"It's alright, Naruto-kun. It didn't bother me."

They went quiet for a while then, and Hinata just lowered herself to rest next to him, with her head on his shoulder, with the only noise being the rain that was still falling around them. Naruto just ran his hand up and down her back while his emotions balanced back out.

A few minutes later, Hinata began to shiver, as she was getting cold from the rain. Naruto wordlessly picked her up and carried her over to the tree their basket was under, and sat down against the trunk with her in his lap. The bark was slightly rough against his bare back, but he was much more concerned with the shivering woman in his arms.

Wrapping his arms around her, he asked, "Is that better?" She just nodded, and they spent the next few minutes in silence again, waiting for her to warm up.

Except that she didn't seem to be getting much warmer. Her skin was still covered in goose bumps, and the occasional tremor ran trough her body as it tried to warm itself.

Despite the cold she was feeling, Hinata was mentally very comfortable. She was sitting in the lap of the man she loved, and could feel his hot breath on the side of her neck just behind and below her left ear. Unfortunately, she was unable to fully enjoy it as her body kept reminding her that it was cold. Well, one part in particular kept saying that.

That part was her chest, which was covered by her waterlogged bra. Now that she had stopped moving and was out of the rain, the water evaporating from it was pulling all the heat out of her chest, leaving it uncomfortably chilled.

Naruto could only watch as she began to unconsciously pick at it, pulling it away slightly each time. He tried not to pay attention to it, lest certain things become more elevated than they already were, but he couldn't help but look.

Eventually, Hinata became so lost in her thoughts that she forgot about where she was, and became solely concerned with the fact that her chest was cold, and it was the bra making it that way. So, in an uncharacteristic impulse, she reached her arms behind her and unfastened it, before removing it completely and tossing it on the basket that had the remains of their lunch in it.

Naruto of course was completely blindsided by the action, as he had not expected the shy heiress to do anything like that in the near future. Hell, he was certain he had pushed her too far already, though he had to admit, it felt good to not have the cold bra strap pressing into his chest anymore.

'_I wonder if that's why she took it off…if it was all wet, it was probably pretty damn cold…I know I'd be freezing if it weren't for Kyuubi keeping me warm.'_

Still, he wanted to make sure she was sure of what she was doing, so he closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, and whispered into her ear, "Hinata, are you ok with this?"

Hinata had been thoroughly lost in a daydream about something completely unimportant by that point, and was somewhat startled by Naruto's voice in her ear. Still not entirely awake, she wrapped his hands with hers, and turned her head to face him. She was mildly curious as to why his eyes were closed, but didn't feel like asking about that. Instead she asked, "Ok with what?"

With his eyes still closed, Naruto lightly grabbed her wrists and repositioned her hands.

He placed them on her breasts.

Her bare breasts.

"With this."

She went straight from half awake to mortified. During her daydream she had apparently taken her bra off without realizing it! While sitting in Naruto's lap even! Her arms instantly wrapped around her chest in an attempt to cover herself, and she tried to get up.

Naruto held her in his lap, though, and began to speak softly into her ear, "Hinata, relax, you need to calm down." She just kept struggling for a moment, until she finally gave up and started crying. "Hey, what's wrong? You didn't do anything, so tell me what I did wrong!"

She just shook her head rather violently, as she continued to hold her arms around herself and cry. She even began shaking. "Hinata, if you don't tell me what's wrong I can't make it better."

She just continued to cry and shake, so he did his best to calm her down, while whispering that it was ok in her ear.

A few minutes later, she stopped crying, and the shaking began to lessen, and Naruto thought he had finally gotten her calmed down.

"Hey, I don't know what that was for, but what's wrong? How can I make it better?" As son as he finished asking, she tensed up, and he thought she was going to start crying again, but after a few seconds she sighed heavily and went limp in his arms.

"You probably think I'm a tramp or something," she eventually murmured out.

It took Naruto a couple seconds to process what she said, and another couple to come up with an adequate response. Hinata of course thought he was thinking of a polite way to agree with her, and didn't think she could possibly be more depressed than she was in that moment.

She was completely blown away then when Naruto spun her around in his lap so that she was facing him, and pulled her into his arms again, trapping her arms between them. "Hinata, I don't think you're a tramp. Why would you even think that?" He noticed her glance down, and continued, "Because you took your bra off? Yeah, I think it's kind of strange that you did that, but that doesn't make you a tramp."

Hinata let out a huge sigh of relief, immensely grateful that he didn't think less of her for what she had done. Pulling her arms from between them, she placed them around Naruto as best she could, as the tree kept her from hugging him properly. She could feel her nipples, which were still hard from the cold, brushing against his chest, and had to admit that it felt really good.

"I took it off because it was cold," she eventually told him.

"Uh…yeah, I can tell," he embarrassedly responded. "Are you finally getting warm now?"

Hinata buried her face into the joint between his neck and shoulder and just nodded, too embarrassed to face him directly. Naruto just set his chin in her head, marveling at how well they fit together like that, and began to run his hands up and down her now bare back.

They stayed like that for a while, until Hinata's legs began to cramp. A furious war was then waged within herself, which ended up with her covering her chest as best she could with her arms, and turning around in Naruto's lap, so that her back was to his chest again.

Naruto closed his eyes again as soon as she turned, as he wasn't sure if she was ready to show her chest to him yet. He also tensed slightly, which she picked up on.

"Are you ok Naruto-kun?" she asked, while turning her head and realizing that his eyes were closed. "Why are your eyes closed?"

"So I don't accidentally look at your…uh, your ….chest," he said slowly, not wanting to offend her.

"I…..it's ok, Naruto-kun, they're c-covered."

"I know, but I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. You've really gone far today, especially for someone as shy as you normally are. I don't want to push you into doing something you aren't ready for."

Hinata didn't really know what to say to that, so she just relaxed, and leaned into Naruto's chest a little bit more. They once again sat in silence for a while, just listening to the rain.

Well, until it got dark, anyway. They had been hoping that the rain would let up some before night fell, but it was still down pouring.

"So you ready to head back yet?" Naruto asked.

"I suppo…se so…." She trailed off.

"What's wrong?"

"What am I supposed to wear on the way back?"

**AN: no, im not dead. for those of you looking for updates on my other stories, they're coming, i promise. my grandmother was recently diagnosed with cancer, and that has kind of killed my muse lately. shes doing well, even though we dont know how bad it is yet.**

**anyway, you all arent here to listen to my problems. this here is the first aprt of an idea ive had rolling around in my head for a while, and i thought i'd put it up to give all of my readers, few though you may be, something to tide you over with until my next update. ive also got the beginning of a bleach fic written, but i dont know if i'll post it or not.**

**so, please let me know what you think of this. its another thing i kind of made up as i went along, but i think it flows decently. and yes, as far as i know, the beginning situation is original to me. ^^ i know of no other fic that ponders what would happen if a shinobi were attacked while bathing in a hot spring.** **i also dont know of any fic that ponders the idea of attacking enemy shinobi with bushes and soap.**


	2. Chapter 2

"_So you ready to head back yet?" Naruto asked._

"_I suppo…se so…." She trailed off._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_What am I supposed to wear on the way back? _

xxxxxxxxxx

I can't wear the dress, and your shirt is ripped, and what do I cover my bottom half with?"

"Well, you were wearing the dress like a skirt earlier, can't you do that again?"

She just shook her head, "I tried, but the only way I could get it to stay like that was to hold it."

They both lapsed into silence again, each trying to think up a method for Hinata to be decent when they returned to the village.

"I don't think there's anything we _can_ do. You'll just have to go without."

"I can't do that! What happens if my father finds out I was wandering around the village in my underwear?"

"Hinata, its pitch dark right now. The only way someone's going to see you is if you walk under a street light. Hell, you're sitting in my lap and I can barely see your feet. As long as we don't walk right next to anybody, no one will ever know."

It took another half hour, and a lot of convincing, but Hinata eventually agreed to the plan. She took Naruto's shirt and tied it on, leaving the bra in the basket, as it was much too cold for her to want to put it back on, and slowly began to follow Naruto back to the village.

Once they got close to the gate, they prepared the first part of the plan. Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, and he slipped his arms under her thighs, carrying her on his back. The position of his hands made both of them blush furiously, as they were only a few inches from….a certain place, but they tried to ignore it.

"Halt!" the gate guard called out, "State your name and reason for being here."

Naruto just flared his chakra a little, and replied, "Chunin Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata, and we're going home."

"Naruto?" the guard asked, even though it was impossible to fake his chakra signature, "Just sign in and you're free to go."

"Can you do it for me? Hinata fell asleep and we're both really wet and cold." This was the dangerous part of the plan. Naruto had to convince the guard to not approach them too closely.

"You know I'm not supposed to do that, right?" the guard replied.

Naruto glared at the guard, "Do _you_ want to explain to her father that the reason his daughter is sick is because I had to drop her in a puddle so I could sign us in?"

The guard just paled. Hyuuga Hiashi is _not_ a man you want angry at you. "Ahh…no, I'll sign you in."

"Thanks!" Naruto called out as they entered the village, taking to the rooftops as soon as he could to stay in the dark.

xxxxxxxxxx

Hinata was nervous from the outset, as she was risking a lot more than Naruto was, in more ways than one. Not only did she have to deal with the nervousness of being half naked in public, she had the reputations of both herself and her clan to consider.

Despite that, she found herself almost enjoying the trip through the woods wearing nothing but her panties and Naruto's ripped shirt. It was…oddly liberating, in a way. If it weren't for the abject terror of being discovered, she actually thought she might like it.

Those feelings didn't really change once they got close to the gate, though she was more nervous. No longer could she hide behind the picnic basket, as she had to pretend to be asleep on Naruto's back. Her nerves jumped even higher when she felt his hands curl under her thighs, as she hadn't expected them to be so close to her core.

The worst part for her, though, was discovering that she was actually getting turned on by their trip in the dark. Her first thought was that something was wrong with her, since she didn't think that she should feel that way. Still, the thrilling feeling persisted, despite her attempts to ignore it.

It briefly went away while Naruto was talking to the guard, as she was absolutely terrified during those moments, but as soon as they were past it immediately made itself known again. She could feel it building in her gut, coiling tighter and tighter.

It was also making her nipples hard again, and her face went very red as she was certain that Naruto could feel them pressing into his back.

Naruto _could_ feel them, but for her sake he didn't acknowledge it. He knew she was embarrassed enough without him mentioning something like that. Besides, if he were to say something, then she might stop pressing herself so tightly to his back, and he didn't want that. Not only was he finding that he liked having her chest pressed into his back, but he also found a strange warmth seeping into his body whenever they were pressed together so closely.

However, Naruto wasn't able to concentrate on that warm feeling as much as he wanted to because Hinata's thighs were getting to be incredibly warm themselves. His hands weren't the only distraction either. His nose was starting to pick up the same scent from when they had been kissing in the clearing.

As soon as Naruto realized what that particular scent meant, he had to fight off a blush of his own. See, among the things his dearly departed master had taught him, though even death threats wouldn't get him to admit it, was women. Now, the old pervert wasn't obvious about it. No, what he did was to first teach Naruto how to read people in general, and then, after Naruto would drag him out of a brothel or some such similar location, he would quiz the boy on what he saw there.

And the best part for Jiraiya was that Naruto didn't realize it until they were on their way back to Konoha.

Anyway, Naruto was immensely glad that Hinata was on his back, and therefore unable to feel the rampaging hard-on he had in front of him. It was so hard that it was actually somewhat hindering his ability to walk properly, though Hinata didn't seem to notice.

Which was a good thing, as he had to circle the village twice while firmly trying to imagine what ol' Sarutobi looked like naked to get it back under control. Yeah, not a pleasant thought, but that's what it took.

He was just thankful that he didn't need to go to the next level.

Which was infinitely more disturbing.

And youthful.

Naruto actually had to stop for a moment and slam his head into a wall when that thought occurred. Some things are not meant to be thought, after all.

Unfortunately, Hinata noticed him slam his head into the wall, which was right outside his apartment, and asked him about it.

"Hinata, some things are just not meant to be thought about. I was starting to think about one of those things. And no, you really, _really_ don't want to know what I'm talking about."

Hinata was very thoroughly confused by that point, but decided to let it go, in favor of resting her head on his shoulder again while he climbed the stairs to his apartment.

Xxxxxxxx

Once they were inside, though she had no idea how he managed to open the door without putting her down, he let her slide off his back and wandered through the dark apartment to find them some towels to dry off with.

She heard him going through a couple drawers in the dark, and felt around for the light switch, figuring the light would help him. Once the light came on, she saw that he had wrapped a towel around his head and was in the process of drying his hair out while crossing the room back to where she was.

She watched him open his eyes, take one or two steps towards her, and then saw his eyes widen dramatically before he quickly turned away from her.

"Naruto-kun? Are you ok? Why won't you look at me?"

Still not looking at her, Naruto replied, "Hinata, you're soaking wet, and only wearing my thin white shirt and your underwear. I don't want to see things you aren't ready for me to see yet. That's why I left the light off when we came in."

He then shuffled the rest of the way over to her, still not looking. "You've come a long way out of your shell today, and I don't want to push you any farther than you're willing to go. I don't want to do anything that will make you uncomfortable."

Hinata of course had immediately turned red as soon as Naruto reminded her of what she was and was not wearing, and instantly realized that he had looked away to spare her the embarrassment. She took the towel he was offering as soon as she could reach it and quickly wrapped it around herself.

"I….it's ok now, you can look."

Naruto slowly cracked one eye open, and upon realizing it was safe, slowly opened his eyes fully, though he seemed slightly uncomfortable standing in front of her.

She noticed this, and asked him about it.

"Nervous? Err, no, not really. Well, not anymore than any other guy would be in this situation," he replied, mumbling the last part.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I live alone," he replied, "and there's a really wet half-naked pretty girl standing in my doorway that I'm about to ask to spend the night. That's what I mean. Gah! I didn't mean it like that! I mean, I was going to ask you if you wanted to spend the night here, because it's still raining, and you'd just get all wet again going across the village to your clan, which you can't do anyway, because your dress is still ripped."

Hinata almost fell over when he finished the first sentence. _'He thinks I'm pretty? And he wants me to spend the night?'_ By the time he finished she was starting to hyperventilate, and was leaning heavily against the wall in order to remain standing.

Having recently learned the signs of an imminent Hinata-faint, Naruto grabbed her shoulders, and looked her right in the eye. "Come on, Hinata, I didn't say anything that out of the ordinary. Besides, I thought you got over this fainting thing during the war…"

Hinata just mumbled something while her breathing slowed down. "Pretty? Yeah, I think you're pretty. I'm sure lots of other guys do too," he told her, his cheeks pinking slightly.

Her breathing now under control, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug, "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"For what? Telling the truth? Anyway, let me go grab you something dry to put on while you go take a shower before you get a cold. I really don't want to have to tell your father that you got sick while being out with me."

The thought of Naruto, who was quite possibly the most powerful ninja alive right then, being afraid of her father pulled a giggle from her, and she let him lead her to the bathroom.

"Yes, I am aware that I could probably beat him in a fight, but he still scares the shit out of me every time I see him," he told her while digging through his dresser for something that might fit her. "That man has a glare that could scare Kyuubi." He eventually came out with an old pair of sweatpants that were too small for him, along with an old shirt, and gave them to her.

"Here, these should fit you. Towels are in that cabinet."

Xxxxxxxxxx

While she was in the shower, he boiled some water, and made some instant ramen. Once that was consumed, more water was boiled, this time for some tea. The kettle started to whistle again just as she came out of the bathroom, and he actually had to force himself to look away before he got caught staring.

'_Wow… she looks good in my clothes… Gah! Damn you Ero-sennin! I can't believe I let you corrupt me without even realizing it!'_

"Alright. There's water in the kettle if you want some tea or something, and if you throw your wet stuff in the dryer I'll start it once I'm done in the shower. Anything else you need?"

"Ummm…not really…..just…."

"Hm? Just what?"

"Well, the ankles of these pants are kind of tight…"

Naruto finally looked at her properly, and realized that the ankles of the sweatpants were currently resting in the middle of her shins. "Oh, sorry. Uh….ah! Here's some scissors. Feel free to do whatever you want to the pair you have on, since they don't fit me anymore. If that doesn't work, there's more pants in the dresser."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Exiting the bathroom after his shower, Naruto found Hinata sitting on his small couch finishing a glass of tea, and he noticed that she had trimmed the legs of the sweatpants enough so that they were more shorts than pants, as the legs ended just above her knees.

He was about to ask her something, but was prevented from doing so by a loud burst of thunder, the lightning from which must have hit the power plant or something, because it knocked the power out.

Hinata was startled by the sudden darkness, but the room was quickly lit up by a soft blue glow, and she looked over to find Naruto standing by the bathroom door, holding a rasengan in his hand, which was providing the illumination.

"Dammit," he mumbled as he walked into the kitchen and began fumbling through a couple drawers. He returned a few moments later with a lit candle, and spoke to his guest.

"Damn storm," he mumbled, "Anyway, you can have the bed, and I'll take the couch. Let me-"

"No! I can't do that! This is your home, I'll sleep on the couch."

"I can't let you do that, Hinata. Besides, it gets pretty cold in here at night when the power's out, and I don't want you to catch a chill."

"Wouldn't you be cold then?"

"Nah, I got Kyuubi to keep me warm. Now go get in the bed. I'm not going to let my guest sleep on the couch."

Hinata just sighed, and followed him to the bedroom. On the way, she asked, "Why does it get so cold in here? I thought this was one of the new buildings."

"It is," he replied. His old apartment had been destroyed by Pein, and the one he was in now was built right before the war. "They just built it really fast, since like everyone was homeless then, and didn't insulate it very well. It was summer then too, so it didn't matter as much. Now that it's into the colder months, it can get a bit chilly if the heat isn't on."

"….And since the power is out, you have no heat."

"Yeah. They're working on fixing it, but the priority right now is families with babies and small children and old people, since they can't handle the cold as well as everyone else. Besides, I've been to Snow Country before, and had to camp there in a tent."

"It's Spring Country now," Hinata replied, "And you must've been freezing."

"Like I said, the Kyuubi keeps me plenty warm," he told her, as he went about changing his sheets, "Was kinda funny seeing Sasuke and Sakura all wrapped up together to keep warm though."

Hinata chuckled a little at that remark. Sasuke's dislike of his fangirls was legendary, and for him to willingly curl up with one must've meant he was REALLY F-ING COLD.

Not knowing a good follow up, Hinata let the room fall into silence while she helped Naruto put clean sheets on his bed, and made sure that he had a blanket of his own for the night. They parted with an awkward good night, and she curled up in his bed while she listened to him clean up the kitchen, before laying down himself.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Despite being a little tired from the day's events, Naruto didn't fall asleep for a while after he lied down. He just couldn't get his mind off of how far Hinata had come out of her shell that day. Seeing her in a dress instead of her usual outfit was surprising enough, and he actually thought she would pass out again when she put her head on his stomach after they ate.

To think that he had then got her to play in the rain in just her underwear not too long after that blew his mind, not even mentioning the fact that she had sat in his lap while completely _topless_ shortly after that.

Oh, and he kissed her. And his…almost confession. And then _she_ kissed _him_…gah, he needed to talk to Iruka as soon as he dropped Hinata off at her clan compound in the morning. That would certainly help him sort through the jumbled mess his feelings were at the moment.

With the next day's plan of action set, he let the still present thunderstorm lull him to sleep.

For a couple hours, anyway.

A particularly loud blast of thunder woke him up, and he listened to the storm rumble for a while, until a lull in the noise allowed him to notice another, subtler sound that the thunder had been drowning out.

'_Is that…whimpering?' _ he thought as he cast his eyes around the dark interior of his apartment. He was close to locating the source of the strange noise when another blast of thunder rocked the building, and he strained his senses to the limit as the rumble died down.

'_Yeah, I heard it clearly that time, its definitely some kind of whimpering noise…' _

Centering himself, he entered Sage Mode and searched for what the noise could've come from. Even though the walls of his building were quite thin, he knew that sound would only carry so far, and noted that the only sources close enough for him to hear were Hinata, and an ANBU standing on his roof.

'_Ok, no ANBU I've ever heard of would be making _that_ kind of noise, not unless they were being tortured, which leaves….Hinata…maybe a nightmare then?'_

He got up from the couch, and faded out of Sage Mode as he quietly padded his way across the room, paying no heed to the chill on his bare chest, and slowly opened the door to his bedroom. Peeking around the door, he saw that Hinata was still asleep, though the tangle of blankets she was wrapped up in told him that hadn't been a very restful one.

As he crept closer, the lightning flashes revealed glimpses of her face, which only confirmed his nightmare theory. Being in the same room also let him hear her whimpering noises, which were almost constant as she began to toss and turn again.

When he got close enough he sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched her shoulder to try and wake her up, but she recoiled from his touch almost as if she had been struck.

"Come on, Hinata, wake up," he said quietly, as he shook her again, "It's just a nightmare, you're okay."

Just then, another bolt of lightning struck, this one rattling the windows with its power. It was loud enough to send Hinata out of her nightmare, and she went flying into Naruto's arms, grabbing on to him for dear life.

He could feel her nails digging into his back, but paid no attention to it, instead choosing to gently run his hands up and down her back, calming her down as she continued to gasp for air.

"Shh, you're okay now, it was just a nightmare. You're safe now, nothing can hurt you here," he whispered into her ear, "It's just a nightmare, nothing's gonna hurt you."

Once her breathing slowed, she pulled back from him, and dropped her hands into her lap, with Naruto's remaining on her shoulders.

"Naruto-kun?" she whispered out, still coming to grips with her nightmare.

"You okay, Hinata? You were having a nightmare…"

"I… I'm fine, Naruto-kun."

"Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, but didn't otherwise reply.

"Alright; I'll be o-"

"Will," she whispered out, cutting him off, "Will you…stay?"

"Hina…ta…"

"Being near someone else helps keep the nightmares away," she replied quietly. "Please?"

Naruto didn't immediately answer; instead taking a moment to study her. The next flash of lightning lit up her face for the briefest instant, but it was enough for him to decide.

"Of course," he replied. Seeing her looking so vulnerable while sitting in his bed… it changed something in him. He just couldn't _not _do it, regardless of what anyone else would think if they found out.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Hinata just nodded, and settled back into the covers.

Naruto returned a few seconds later, the blanket from the couch bunched up in front of him. He swung his feet onto the bed, and positioned himself next to her, though he was still on top of the blankets. He flung the couch blanket over both of them, and she curled up on the other side of the bed, facing him.

"Will this work?" he asked her. She just nodded her head again, and he decided to ask another question. "Do you have a lot of nightmares?"

"Sometimes," she murmured, "though Kurenai-sensei or Hanabi-chan are usually around when they happen."

"Hanabi?"

"My sister. We shared a room while the compound was being rebuilt, and it wasn't until I had to sleep apart from her that I realized how bad my nightmares were," she told him. "It doesn't seem to matter who is near, though the more I trust them the weaker the nightmares seem to be."

"Well, I hope you get a good night's sleep tonight then," he replied.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Naruto-kun."

Xxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Naruto was woken up by the power coming back on, and he sleepily shuffled his way out in the other room to turn the lights off, before returning to bed. Flipping back the blankets, he slid in next to the still sleeping heiress, and quickly rejoined her in unconsciousness.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Despite the fact that the man she loved was sleeping not more than a few inches from her, Hinata returned to one of her usual nightmares upon falling asleep again.

Well, that's not _entirely_ accurate. The setting was the same, the cast was the same, the time of day, the weather, everything was the same as her nightmare, but…it wasn't scary.

It was like…one of those spoof movies that mock the stereotypes in horror films. It wasn't exactly funny, but it wasn't exactly terrifying either. It was more confusing than anything, really, as she knew what _usually_ happened in this particular nightmare, and the major events still happened, but the interactions between everyone was…wrong.

So wrong, in fact, that it eventually woke her up.

'_That was…weird,' _she thought to herself upon waking. _'I don't think I've ever had a dream like _that_ before… maybe I'll tell Hanabi about it some time, she might find it funny.'_

That thought completed, her mind drifted off to the next most pressing topic. _'I wonder where Naruto-kun got his pillows… They're quite warm and comfortable…and they smell good,'_ she thought while allowing the heartbeat coming from her pillow to begin lulling her back asleep. She then stretched a little, and moved her feet into a more comfortable position while tightening her grip on her pillow.

'_I really have to ask him about those pillows…and that strange lump in the mattress…it feels like a foot…and a leg? Naruto-kun sure has weird tastes in mattresses…'_

Her thoughts were then interrupted by a voice.

"Hinata?"

"Hmmm?" she replied, still mostly asleep.

"I need you to let go of me."

"Dun wanna," she mumbled back, "'sides, m'holdn pillow."

Next, she heard a sigh, followed by a chakra pulse, then another pulse, this one closer, followed by quiet again. She was just about to drift back to sleep after a few minutes of this new quiet when she felt another chakra pulse under her, followed by one next to her.

She felt something on her back, and as it began to gently move up and down her spine, she cracked her eyes open to take in her surroundings. She tilted her head back, and found herself face-to-face with the man she had spent the previous day with.

"Good morning, Hinata."

She just blinked a couple times, trying to get her brain to assess the situation. Sleep-fogged though it was, her mind eventually began to tell her what happened the previous day.

She had gone on a picnic with Naruto-kun. She had decided to go a little ways out of her normal comfort zone during said picnic, and wore a dress instead of her usual outfit. They had amusing conversation about being ambushed. They sparred. She cut his shirt, and he cut her dress. He saw her scars, and she feared rejection.

But he still accepted her, and showed her some of his own. He had then dragged her out to play in the rain like a child, and she had enjoyed it immensely. And then…..

And then…..she had fallen on top of him, and they kissed. And Naruto had almost confessed to her. And then they kissed…again, and she had been overwhelmed by the feelings it caused to shoot through her. And after that….

Still staring up at Naruto, she felt her face heat up as she recalled what she had done while sitting in his lap the previous day.

'_I can't believe that I sat in his lap _completely topless!_ And he was such a gentleman about it too!'_

That wasn't the only thing she did that was embarrassing either, she remembered. Naruto had managed to convince her to return to the village wearing nothing but his shirt and her panties. Thinking back on it she was surprised she didn't die of shock.

It had been storming on their return, and Naruto had offered to let her stay at his place for the night, and to also try and find a way to fix her dress so that she would be presentable when she returned to her clan compound in the morning.

Which led to her current situation; waking up in the arms of the man she loved, and, hopefully, the arms of a man who loved her in return.

"You ok, Hinata? You've been staring at me for a couple minutes now."

Snapping out of her memories, she responded, "H-hai. Good morning, Naruto-kun."

**AN: so that's part two. i realize it ends in an odd place, but i havent decided how the rest of the morning should play out, as this story was written spur of the moment, more or less, and theres no notes to go with it. so, that being said, until i get more inspiration for this particular plot line, this is where the story ends. i'm not going to mark it complete, since it isnt, but dont plan on there being an update to it any time soon.**


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